Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1887-11-20
COUNTRY-BRED MEN
WHO RULE THE FINANCES OF WALL
STREET.
Gould, Sage and Fsld-SOms Advice TO Those Boys
Who Would Accumulate Wealth
Punctualty, Honesty and Brains.
C0urierJ Journal.

Courier JoUrRGL.
NEW YORK, November S.-The three
big men of Wall street are Jay Gould, Rus
sell Sage and Cyrus W. Field.
Each is a country-bred boy, each started
without money, and each is worth millions
to-day. All that they have they have made
themselves. In Gould and Sage the com
mercial instinct is very strongly developed.
They are masters of finance. Sol is Cyrus W.
Field, bat he possesses facilities of mind and
manner that are totally lacking in Gould
and Sage. Field is fond of rare works oil
art. lie owns some very valuable pic
lures. He has a fine library, and he is
fond of society and likes TO entertain and
be entertained. He is a man of liberal
education. He is well up in the classics.
He knows q great deal about politics, art
| religion aud science. He is fond Of the
poets, aud he enjoys a good novel. Gould
seems to have bat one object In life. de
is a great money-maker. He is worth over
500, 900, 900. Yet he works as hard for a
dollar as any man in New York. Field
is not so fond of money. He is worth
S25, 900, 600 and doesn't seem TO care TO
make more. He is resting now. His life
has been au active one, and he can afford
to take the world easy. There is no buster
man on this continent, however, than
Sage. During working hours no day
Iaborer works harder than he. lie Is full
of vim anu dash, and although his hair IS
white he has still a seemingly l~neXhaustl-
BILE supply OF youthful vitality. No one
knows the full value of a dollar any better
than Sage, and no one knows how to hold
on to 1t better. He has the reputation
of being small, and mean, and stlngy, but
it is undeServed. He gives literally TO
those who deserve it, but he does not open
| his purse TO those who are rs able to work
as he. Having made all his money him.
self, he knows It's true value, and a score
of times while engaged in big financial
| operatioDs he has found it to be his bet
| friend. In his home MIR. Sage is
one of the most delightful men.
His home is a palace. All that money
can do t. make it comfortable has been
done. In society he il ~ gallant rs Ches-
terield, and in the society Of ladies he IS
As charming in manner as a girl with her
first beau. Iu his Office tie is quick and
nervous. Occasionally he finds time to
| chat. found him in such mood. The
conversation drifted from n thing to
another, until finally it came down TO the
| chances n young man has Of getting on In
| the world.
"'You have made millions of dollars, Mr..
SIge," | said, and there are thousands nj
hoys who would ne glnd to hear q word
from YOU. Tell them how to begin"
The great Spectator lay back in his
| chair and yawned.
'tOb. | couldn't tell them anything they
don't know" he replied.
well" | said, "what chance has a
Young man, with nothing hut brains aud
pluck, to get on in the commercial
world?"
with brains and pluck the chances are
very good" said Mr.. Sage, but with
brains, pluck. honesty, tact and energy his
chances are better. With brains and pluck
a man may reach the top OF the heap
sometimes the heap OF stones in Sing
Sing). hut he is never sure of his position
unless he possesses the other qualities
Has he more OF an opportunity TO rise
in a commercial than in a professional
life?:"
Eyes, perhaps. The richest men are the
ones in the commercial, not professional,
world, | think. For every wealthy and
famous doctor, lawyer, artist, actor, author
aud poet you may name, | think tina can
name I'VE or ten great men in
the world over"
Surprising he is without friends, or
what is sometimes called a pull, what Is
the hest wav for him to begin?"
''Ry % gettiuga position; (2) keeping
| his mouth shut; 81 observing; (4) being
faithful; (5) making his employer think
that he would be lost in a fog without him,
and (6) to be polite. That is a good way
for a Young man to begin, after he gets
there. 1t he lives up to these rules, he
will not want for friend at court for any
leugth Of time, in fact, not at all.
"What sort of reading or study should
he engage i'll to gain the fundamental
knowledge of business methods"
"The daily newspapers! Morning and
evening, especially the page devoted to
the markets of the world. Still, practi-
cal study is the best, and the only place
to obtain it is in some large business
house"
"Name some of the books that you ad-
viae young men to read and study?'
The Bible, Dickens, Thackeray, Scott,
| Charles Kingsley, Irving, Hawthorne,
Byron. Shakespeare Balzac, Lew Wal
lace Bret Harte, Longfellow, Emerson,
Lowell, Bancroft, Prescott, Parkman,
Fielding. SmOllett, TennysOn, Gibson,
Macauley and Ruskin,"
rs it necessary OF advisable fora young
man to have q college education to engage
successfully in commercial life?'
"Why, DO; a college education rather
unfitS n man 10 successfully follow 4 COM
mercial life. The old COmmodore's som
in.law, Horace Clark, once said to him:
What a pity that you did not have a col
lege education, sir
"'Yes?' queried the old gentleman, with
a twinkle in his ewes. i believe, Horace,
that you had one The point is that Hor-
ace Clark WAS penniless when he married
the old gentleman's daughter. The smart
est men in Wall street have never spent q
day in a college
what qualities would you advise n
student to keep ever in view to become a
great and successful merchant or hanker?"
ITO always represent things just as they
are; to always keep faith; to never break a
promise-tO, in n word, live up 10 the
golden rule; to never say a thing behind a
mans back you would hesitate to say TO
his face to look for the good in men, not
for the bad; to believe every man good un-
I'll you know that he is bad-and then
make allowances
what one quality, has it been your ex-
perieuce, is OF more value than any other
to n business mau?'
"Oh, It'll hard to anSwerthat. Aman may
be honest-and yet foolish; may be very
smart-and yet dishonest; may not be ex-
actly dishonest, but tricky. That question
is impossible to answer. AS near as can
get to it, it is this: Honesty"
docs a commercial life bring as many
laurels and emoluments as a professional
career?"
81 do not think that it brings as many
near snd dear friends; but it brings more